


Drowning in a Sea of Emotions

by islashlove



Category: Psych
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-01
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-18 11:37:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4704677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/islashlove/pseuds/islashlove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shawn never thought he would hear those words, but when he did, he wasn't ready for the impact they had on him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drowning in a Sea of Emotions

Every so often, Gus or Juliet would duck in just to check on Shawn and every time it was the same. He would be sitting in the same seat. The only time he would move was to go to the toilet or to shower. He ate and slept beside the hospital bed, not wanting to move, just in case his dad might wake up.

Lassiter, Chief Vick and the others didn't really understand it. They didn't understand why he wouldn't help find the man that had shot Henry, but Gus knew why. He knew that Shawn was slowly drowning and the only life-raft was time. Drowning, it seemed like a funny way to explain Shawn's odd behaviour, but it was exactly what was happening. 

As soon as Henry had said those words, Shawn's world had shattered and all the emotions he had dammed up inside flooded his mind in a sea of emotions. They swirled around him. At first it was just one emotion that made its way to the surface. Then it was two or three at once and each time they appeared they were stronger and stronger: anger, hatred, hurt, love, until they overwhelmed him and he went under.

Shawn did want to go out and find the person who had hurt his Dad, but he just couldn't move. If he could move, there would be no way to stop him. So Shawn sat there, holding his Dad's hand, in hopes that he would wake up, even if it was just long enough for him to ask if his Dad really meant what he had said.

For the first time in his life, Shawn let the emotions wash over him. He let himself feel them. To try and understand why those simple words meant so much.

“Shawn,” Henry gasped through the blood in his mouth.

“Dad, don't...don't talk. Help is on its way.”

“Please...Shawn....listen. I have and ...” Henry stopped as he coughed a little. Taking a few shaky breaths, Henry looked back up at Shawn. “I...have and...always will be...proud of you and how you turned out.” Henry let out a few more coughs, before slipping in unconsciousness. 

“Dad, Dad, please. You need to wake up. You can't just tell me that!” Shawn started to shake Henry's lifeless body in desperation to wake him up. 

Shawn didn't fight when he was pulled away by the medical crew. He was in too much shock to do anything. He had just seen his Dad shot and then his Dad hit him with a bombshell, he was proud of whom Shawn had become. How could he be proud of a con artist? After all, that is all Shawn was, wasn't he...a con artist that has been conning the police all this time.

After they took Henry away, Gus took Shawn to the hospital and he's been there ever since, drowning in the emotions that his father's words had brought to the surface. The anger of his Dad's never saying those words to him before. Anger and hate towards the men that had shot his Dad. Jealousy of Gus and the family he had. The heartache of realising he will be alone for the rest of his life and the sadness of the fact that he could lose his Dad forever. 

Four days!

Four long days it took, until Henry's wounds outweighed the odds and Henry lost the battle. But even then, Shawn refused to leave. Instead, he waited until the last emotion washed over him and only then did the tears start to fall. 

He hadn't cried once in the whole four days that he had been sitting there. Now, as the tears fell, so did the pressure inside. The flood gates had opened and the waters started to recede. 

Shawn was no longer drowning.

Instead, he found himself swimming towards the shoreline. He now had a mission to complete. He needed to bring in the man that had shot and killed his Dad. Standing up, Shawn rubbed a thumb across Henry's cold hand. 

Leaning down, Shawn whispered the words he wanted to say. “I was proud of you, too, Dad.” Shawn then placed Henry's hand gently on the bed before turning and walking out, not once looking back.

Looking at Gus with determination and tear filled eyes, he said, “I'm ready, let's find him.

With that, Shawn and Gus walked out of the hospital.


End file.
